Impact of Health Education on COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake Among Women of Reproductive Age: A Focus on Prepregnant, Pregnant, and Postpartum Populations

INTRODUCTION: COVID-19 vaccination is essential for protecting reproductive-aged women, yet hesitancy remains high during the prepregnant, pregnant, and postpartum periods. Targeted health education may play a key role in improving vaccine uptake and informed decision-making in these populations. METHODS: A quasi-experimental one-group pre-posttest study was conducted at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bibinagar, India, from February 2022 to June 2022. A total of 149 unvaccinated and partially vaccinated (defined as those who had received only the first dose and had not completed the second dose as per the recommended schedule) women aged 18-29 years were recruited. All enrolled women received targeted health education through structured counseling sessions led by a trained nursing officer to inform and address concerns about the COVID-19 vaccine. Vaccine uptake post-intervention was tracked, and the effectiveness of the counseling was assessed by the number of participants who received the vaccine. RESULTS: Of the 149 women enrolled, 119 were analyzed, as 30 were lost to follow-up and could not be reached by telephone during the two-month follow-up period to determine their vaccination status. Sixty (50.4%) received the COVID-19 vaccine following the educational intervention. Among partially immunized women, the counseling success rate was 60%, whereas it was significantly lower among previously unvaccinated women (34.1%). CONCLUSION: Health education can significantly influence COVID-19 vaccine uptake among reproductive-aged women. However, lower uptake among unvaccinated women suggests that additional strategies are necessary to overcome vaccine hesitancy.